The Marine Corps fired the commanding officer of one of the service’s most storied air stations on Tuesday, a regional spokesperson confirmed to Military.com.
Col. Mark D. Bortnem, a former F/A-18 pilot with more than 30 years in the service, was relieved of his duties as commander of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, Nat Fahy, director of communications for Marine Corps Installations East, said in an emailed statement.
Fahy said the reason was “due to a loss of trust and confidence” in Bortnem’s ability to command. The military often uses that phrase as an opaque justification for firings that avoids specifics.
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Brig. Gen. Ralph J. Rizzo Jr., the commanding general of MCI East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, fired Bortnem “effective immediately.” The decision came nearly two years into Bortnem’s tenure as MCAS Beaufort’s commander, meaning he was likely nearing the end of his command time.
Military.com asked why Bortnem was fired and whether his relief came in response to a criminal probe, part of a personal misconduct issue, or based on performance, but Fahy did not offer additional details.
Lt. Col. Michael R. Eubanks, the air station’s headquarters and headquarters squadron executive officer, is the acting commander of MCAS Beaufort until a permanent leader is officially appointed, Fahy said.
The Island News, a South Carolina paper, first reported Bortnem’s relief on Tuesday.
Bortnem first enlisted into the Marine Corps in 1991 and served as a supply administration and operations specialist before commissioning as a second lieutenant in 1998, according to his biography, which was still posted on a Marine Corps website as of Tuesday afternoon.
Bortnem deployed several times, including to Iraq, where he flew combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His biography said that he had nearly 3,000 flight hours under his belt, including more than 500 hours of combat flights.
He took command of MCAS Beaufort in July 2023.
Military.com attempted to reach Bortnem through a publicly listed phone number and social media, but was unsuccessful.
His relief came just two days after the installation’s annual air show, one of Beaufort’s largest events of the year, in which Navy Blue Angels and prop planes performed maneuvers, and the Marine Corps’ V-22 Osprey was on display. There were no known reported incidents at the air show.
Bortnem was pictured greeting a Blue Angels pilot on April 9, prior to the air show, alongside his senior enlisted adviser, Sgt. Maj. Bryan Alfaro.
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